Two Texas mothers have been accused of leaving three small children locked in a bedroom overnight while they allegedly drank and used drugs at a hotel.
When the women returned home with the children’s aunt, they reportedly found a two-month-old baby suffering from catastrophic injuries.
Authorities say the infant was assaulted by the two older children, ages six and four, while the adults were away.
The baby sustained life-threatening head trauma inside what police described as a dirty home where the children were regularly confined.
The Smith County Sheriff’s Office said Sidney Whitt, 21, Jacqulun Morales, 29, and Morales’ sister, Shelby Munoz, 18, have all been charged with endangering a child and injury to a child.
Investigators said the infant is still on a ventilator in a medically induced coma after suffering bleeding on the brain, seizures and extensive bruising to the face.
The child was first brought to a hospital in Tyler before being flown to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas for specialized care.
Sidney Whitt, 21, was arrested Thursday on charges of injury to a child and endangering a child, with bonds set at a combined $500,000.
Jacqulun Morales, 29, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with injury to a child and endangering a child, with bonds totaling $500,000
The investigation began after Child Protective Services and hospital staff contacted the Smith County Sheriff’s Office on June 18 to report that a two-month-old child had arrived at Mother Frances Hospital with injuries medical staff believed were consistent with child abuse.
Detectives interviewed the baby’s mother, other adults and children living at the residence before obtaining a search warrant for the home.
What they found, investigators said, painted an alarming picture of the children’s living conditions.
According to the sheriff’s office, the property had no air conditioning despite the Texas heat, was infested with flies and had floors covered with rat droppings, dirty diapers and clothing.
As detectives dug deeper, they said they uncovered evidence that several children living in the home were routinely locked inside a room whenever their mother left the house, with another adult left to supervise them.
Shelby Munoz, 18, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with injury to a child and endangering a child after investigators said she failed to intervene during the alleged assault
Investigators allege that on the night of June 16, Whitt and Morales left the residence after placing the children in the care of Munoz.
Before heading out, detectives say the women locked the two-month-old baby together with two other children, aged four and six, inside a bedroom.
According to the sheriff’s office, Whitt and Morales then went to a local hotel to meet a boyfriend, where they drank alcohol and used drugs.
While they were away, investigators say the two older children managed to gain access to the room where the infant had been left.
According to the sheriff’s office, the children began throwing the baby before eventually stomping on the infant’s head.
Investigators say Munoz later admitted she did nothing to stop the assault, allegedly telling detectives that the children ‘were not hers’ and that she did not believe their care was her responsibility.
Authorities further allege that even after Whitt and Morales returned home and saw the baby’s condition, they failed to seek immediate medical help.
The two-month-old was initially taken to hospital in Tyler before being airlifted to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, where the infant remains on a ventilator in a medically induced coma
Instead, investigators say the infant did not receive treatment until June 18, two days after the alleged assault.
Medical staff documented extensive facial bruising along with seizures and bleeding on the brain before arranging for the baby to be flown to Dallas for emergency specialist care.
Munoz and Morales were arrested last Tuesday, while Whitt was taken into custody last Thursday.
Each woman faces charges of injury to a child and child endangerment.
According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, each defendant is being held on bonds totaling $500,000, consisting of $250,000 for each charge.
The investigation remains ongoing.
